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benefit roller lash

I’ve had my eyes peeled for a Glossier mascara for a while now. Follow Annie (@annieokay) on Instagram? She’s Glossier’s Executive Editor. If you don’t, now might be a good time to hit that follow button – because I’ve gotten some pretty good clues about upcoming products from her Instagram stories & Instagram livestreams.

Quite a while back, Annie did a livestream where she was getting ready for some sort of event – I don’t remember the details, but I do remember that she applied the Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color (“a liquid lip color that combines a lip stain with an ultra-glossy finish”), which is a ridiculously expensive & luxurious lip product that I’ve been eyeing ever since…& that she did her brows with Boy Brow(brown) & then started applying mascara. She didn’t mention the name.

I commented: “mascara brand? I have Diorshow & love it but am always on the lookout for a mascara that’s even MORE holy grail.”

A few other people asked questions in a similar vein. Annie smiled, & said “just a mascara,” leaving it at that. A bunch of eye emoji comments rolled in, a few pleas for more details…but that was it! Annie was done talking. She finished her face.

Ever since I saw that – & saw how careful Annie was to keep the packaging of the mascara out of site (even though it most likely was just in product development) – I’ve had my eyes peeled for more eye makeup from Glossier. I thought that that would be The Product of the year for Glossier: a mascara is a big product to launch, because it’s one of the most widely used makeup products. I was surprised to see the Lidstar shadows launch first (check out that review here) though I had been expecting to see some kind of eyeshadow/eye tint…again, thanks to Annie’s cryptic swatches that showed up from time to time on her Instagram story.

When Lidstar launched, I thought that that would be it for Glossier for a while. Eyeshadows are another big product to launch, & I expected a little more time to pass before we got our mascara. I was wrong. Less than three months after Lidstar’s launch, I got a mystery package from Glossier. As a rep, I sometimes get early access to products – this time, there was a single product box, similar in packaging to a Lidstar shadow or a Boy Brow brow gel. This one was labelled “Lash Slick.” I also got an email: don’t share photos or info before the product launches…but don’t worry, the product is launching soon! Glossier wasn’t lying. Just a few days after I received my Lash Slick, Glossier’s first mascara went live on their site for $16 USD, $20 CAD, & $14 GBP (don’t worry Frenchies: Glossier’s coming to you real soon).

So – what’s Lash Slick all about? The name sounds a little racy, I won’t lie. Is that because it’s smooth? Is it a marketing ploy? Is it both? After trying it, I’d have to go with both – but let’s walk through some of the product claims & what I think about them after trying Lash Slick.

“248 formulations later: the perfect everyday mascara. Lash Slick curls and sculpts as it lengthens, enhancing the look of your natural lashes instead of clumping them together or spackling them in product. Teeny-tiny fibers coat lashes from root to tip to create a lengthened baby-extension, while flexible film-forming polymers lift and lock each fiber into place. And it’s water-resistant (not waterproof), so Lash Slick washes off easy with warm water at the end of your day.”

248 formulations sure is a lot. Glossier provided a lot of photos on their Instagram of various wands that were tried; various tubes that didn’t work & so forth & so on. It does certainly seem as though they’ve put a lot of effort into it – both from the product description &, ultimately, how I feel about the appearance & sensation of the product. Okay. So – Glossier’s been working hard on Lash Slick. Why’d it take this long to get here? What’s specifically special about it?

It’s water-resistant, but not water-proofThat sounds dangerous – I thought that it would definitely run/flake if I started to cry or went in the rain…but that wasn’t the case. I tried both (mostly crying, but a quick CVS run in the rain happened, too) & the mascara doesn’t flake. It sticks right onto your lashes without feeling crunchy or stiff.

It still sounds dangerous – that’s because I’m paranoid of water-proof mascaras. I was wary that “water-resistant” would hurt/pull at my lashes. If I couldn’t cry it off, would I be able to gently remove it with warm water without yanking out some of my precious lash hairs? The answer to that: Yes. I can gently remove it with warm water without losing precious lashes. A pump of Milky Jelly Cleanser (my holy grail cleanser) massaged with that warm water works even more beautifully. I worked in gentle, circular motions with my warm water/MJC combination, & I had clean, dry lashes within a minute – no raccoon eyes here! That was a big factor in how much I ended up liking it. If a mascara is difficult to remove, I drop it quicker than a hot potato. This one fits my strangely specific criteria: “easy to remove – not waterproof – but doesn’t come off when crying.” Hard to believe that there’s something like that out there now, but here I am, claiming that Lash Slick did exactly that for me.

It’s…shiny?I know. That doesn’t sound great at first, does it? Hear me out: it doesn’t look like your lashes are coated in thick, greasy paint. It’s more of an enhancement. Your lashes don’t look shiny, but the “Natural Shine Polymers enhance the formula’s black pigment so lashes are extra shiny & sleek.” Basically, with that “natural shine,” Lash Slick is creating an illusion of longer, healthier lashes. That’s something I’m always here for

You don’t need a lash curler!!!!!!!If you know anything about my makeup routine, you know that 1. I hardly wear mascara in the first place 2. When I do, I always curl my lashes. I feel like I can’t get the lift that I want if I don’t curl them – I have long lashes, & though they curl upwards when I don’t wear mascara, they stick straight out when I apply (most) mascaras. The weight of the mascara is too much for my little lashes to handle while maintaining their curl. The closest I ever got to not needing a curler was Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara (which is a big favorite all over the world at this point) but the brush felt too I poked myself in the eye a few times, then decided it wasn’t worth it (is it odd that most of my endeavors to love Benefit products – ex. their Gimme Brow! brow gel & their Roller Lash Mascara – led to me finding Glossier products that are cheaper & more effective?). I shelved Benefit Roller Lash over a year ago & switched to Diorshow mascara – just the original one, in Black. I blame Bella Hadid’s millennial marketing campaign for getting me to notice Dior’s mascara, but hey…that was clearly the point, & it is a good mascara. However, for me to get the maximum feathered & curled effect that I wanted (& zero clumps) it took a good curl, a coat or two of mascara, & then a careful brushing session with a spoolie. Effective? Yes. Time-consuming? Absolutely. If there’s an easier way, I’ll always opt for that…& Lash Slick has, so far, given me a cheaper, quicker, easier way to achieve a lash look that I actually enjoy. Less tools, less time, but just as good (if not better) lashes.=

Tapered Comb Brush (made of rubber)This application brush is described as “sleek, comb-like.” It separates your lashes, kind of like a spoolie brush would. It also grabs your lashes at the very root, lifting, curling, & defining. The rubber makes sure you don’t have too much product on your hands – which eliminates any danger of clumps. I know some people like that thick, spider-lash formula for mascara, & if that’s the case, this one isn’t for you (unless you layered something else on top & used this as a curling mascara). For me, however, it was a big plus. I prefer individual separate lashes, even when I’m wearing mascara. This one does what Roller Lash & Diorshow do combined.

The lashes get extra definition &, therefore, extra pigment. Your lashes are natural-looking, but are long, fluffy, & super pretty when you blink.

It really does last 12 hoursGlossier claims that Lash Slick will not run if in contact with light water (tears, rain, sweat, etc.) & will last up to 12 hours. They weren’t lying. Yours truly had a good few crying sessions in the two days I tested Lash Slick, & there was no runny mascara, no lashes that had nothing on them while others had excess…it doesn’t look like the typical mascara does – that’s where the water-resistant part really helps.

Sometimes, mascara can get a little too crunchy. This one was very soft at the beginning of the day but was getting a little stiff by the time I took it off (worn for 12 hours). It wouldn’t keep me from purchasing it, because I really only noticed it for the last 2-3 hours or so of wear. It’s not uncomfortable; it’s just noticeable if you were to touch your lashes (which I did while testing the mascara) it’d be stiffer by EOD than when you first applied it.

Though this one was sent a few days before release to test, I will be refilling my Lash Slick, because this one mascara does everything I want & used to need to achieve that effect. It’s a cheaper, more effective way to do your mascara. I haven’t done the “swipe on mascara & go” look with Lash Slick, simply because I never have made that my “emergency” makeup routine. However, the way Lash Slick looked with eyeshadow…I’m curious to see how it’d look by itself. I think that’s going to be in my next round of new things to try.

I’d call this the Boy Brow of mascaras. It’s effective, it’s easy, it’s affordable. I’m glad it took Glossier hundreds of attempts & more than a year to develop: for me, this product is absolutely living up to its claims – doing better, even – while not pricing high as a Benefit mascara (mid $20s) or Diorshow, which is almost $30. This gives me a combined effect of the two, in fact – & I will only have to fork over $16. I’ll take ten more right now, actually.

I’ve never finished a tube of mascara before because I don’t wear it often enough – it dries out before I get to the bottom. However, there’s a first for everything, & Glossier’s made a few “firsts” happen…let’s see if this is the first one you’ll see me finish. History might be made!

It’s now possible to make an entire eye look just out of Glossier makeup: Lidstar for eyeshadow, Lash Slick for mascara, & Boy Brow for brows. Done.

Lash Slick, Lidstar in Moon, & Boy Brow in Brown

Have you tried Lash Slick yet – or if not, will you be buying it? Let me know!